


The Price of Life

by SaturnWolf



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Depression, Did this for my English class, I Tried, Idk what I’m doing, Responsibility, death not wanting to death anymore, i think it’s actually an ok read tho, kind of deep, life is needy, random tag, thanks for reading
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-07 02:17:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18863722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaturnWolf/pseuds/SaturnWolf
Summary: The Grim Reaper. Death. That’s what he’s called. That’s all he knows. He can’t do it anymore. He quits. But is it worth it?





	The Price of Life

“I don’t want to kill anymore.”

I looked to Life with eyes full of sorrow. Life gazed back, unamused. “Well, if not you, then who? This is your purpose here. You are the Grim Reaper. You are DEATH! You can’t just decide not to do what you were put on this planet to do. The lifeforms on this earth need the balance of life and death, otherwise the world would erupt in chaos, and the Universe as we know it could be over. Grim, I know that our jobs can be stressful at times, but you and me, we are a team, and if you stop doing your part, I am unable to continue doing mine. You have to understand your role here. You don’t have the right to be selfish.”

“Is it selfish to not want to be the one to take a mother away from her child, or a child from a father? I’ve been doing my job since the beginning of this Godforsaken planet, and I’m tired of being the cause of pain and misery. Even standing here with you, talking to LIFE, all I see it death! I can’t be like this anymore, I just can’t.” I turned to leave, but Life took hold of my wrist.

“Listen, I’m not going to pretend to know what your going through, but please don’t do this. This isn’t the way to deal with your feelings. The world relies on both of us to do our jobs, I can’t do this without you.”

“Why do I have to be the one to suffer when you are worshipped for who you are? You’re right, you don’t understand what I go through. You don’t understand at all.” I yanked my arm back and left Life behind.

\---

Ever since the beginning of time on this planet, Life and Death have been playing tug of war with the lives occupying it. Life worked and worked to breathe new life into the atmosphere. The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the animals that roamed the lands, she created them all. Her proudest creation, though, was man. To man she gave the intelligence to create and evolve into a higher species. They exceeded her expectations, and grew beyond anything she could imagine. She saw their goodness and joy, and all the new things they brought into the world. Man became her instrument of life, and Life couldn’t be happier.

Me, I only saw pain, destruction, and chaos. I was forced into the role of keeping Life in check, meaning I had to steal the life away from the creatures she had created. I didn’t remember when I came to be, but I knew it was after Life had already opened her eyes, and stretched out over the earth. I came to realize very quickly that anything I touched lost its life, and that my role in this world was the truest form of my name. I never saw the good like Life did. I was given the curse of myself. Man quickly discovered my identity, and have had it out for me since the start. They named me the Grim Reaper, and said I was to be feared. As man evolved and created, they looked for ways to keep me away, but I had a job to do. No man has been able to stop me, even though it has been my only wish. Though, man had evolved enough to hate, and I was called upon more in one year, than in my whole time on the planet. War, man’s way of dealing with anger. War caused me so much grief. My work doubled, tripled, quadrupled. People had to die left and right because man was too absorbed with his own life to care about another’s. All of the fighting, the battles, the murdering, it was killing me! I was at my breaking point, and I was done with it all. I, the Grim Reaper, quit.

...

I gave up, I quit. No more feeling man’s hate, no more pain. I refused to kill someone today, and it felt great. I didn’t know what this feeling really was, I’ve never felt it before, but I thought it to be freeness. I was free. I really could just stop. I never thought this day would come, but here I was. I was no longer tied to destruction, I could do as I pleased, and not feel the guilt of other people dealing with the consequences. There were none anymore. Really, truly, I was free.

***

Some years passed, and Death stayed ignorantly free. Life had to keep creating life, and the world soon overran with it. There were very little resources left, for all lifeforms on the planet, and little to no room for anyone or anything, but Life just couldn’t stop. She became uncontrollable, and man cursed her name, for she was giving them more and more problems rather than beautiful beginnings. She grew to hate Death, loathe him even. He left her, and knocked the Universe off balance. No one was dying. The elderly became weaker and weaker, but were left alive. Those with deathly injuries were left to suffer. Wars broke out everywhere, and never saw an end. Those who would have been gone to the world from the fighting were left lying in agony and despair. Everything was wrong. People called out to Death, begged for his return, but he remained aloof. He didn’t listen to Life’s tears. Death didn’t hear the constant, unimaginable pain of the world. He didn’t hear any of it. Until he did.

***

Life was dying, and I felt it. I felt her call to me, and turned my head toward the earth. For the first time, I truly understood what I meant to the Universe. I saw what I had done, and how everyone suffered because of my decision. As quickly as I could, I ran back to the world, and took hold of Life’s outstretched hand. I pleaded for forgiveness from the Universe, and made right my mistake. I ended the pain and the suffering, and nursed Life back to herself as I did what I was meant to do. I was the Grim Reaper. I was Death. My role was important, and never again did I question just how much I was needed. I refused to ever see anything like that again, and promised Life, and the Universe, that I would always be there, holding Life’s hand, until the end of time. Life and Death forever and always, the Universe’s way of staying balanced.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. I’m new to writing. This is my first story. Constructive criticism is welcomed and wanted. Thanks for reading 😊


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